Poly Hive's?

[herefordshirehoney]

Hi,

Been following the threads about poly hives for a while and can see their advantages.

Im new to beekeeping and havent got bees yet and am seriously thinking 14x12 cedar is the route, however recently it's got me thinking poly might be the better choice for the bees.....

The problem with going this route is the common sites like MB don't do 14x12's so from what im looking at would probably be MB Langstroth. This puts a few questions in my mind. 1) What one's to go for as langstroth has so many options and is it the best choice for poly 2) I'm probably making extraction harder as borrowing a extractor from the HBKA problem will be geared for nationals.

The other issue i'll have is I was going to get a NUC again they come in national frame sizes usually (i think MB do converstion kits though).

From what i've read the poly's can last as long but as they are cheaper i can afford to have more spares lying about too so it has it's advantages.

Any comments? Got a feeling this one will be an interesting one

Thanks,
Chris

 

[drstitson]

Poly Hive's what?

Chris - are you a greengrocer by any chance?



seriously - rab (o2o) and mons ab are your men. MB jumbo LS simply converted to 14x12.

 

[Poly Hive]

And I suppose I have no input Dr? LOL

If you want to go the poly Langstroth route you have all winter to sus out who offers the best deal. There are vendors all over Europe who sell them including Poland.

Langstroth nucs are available though no where near as common as nats. Which is why I keep a few....

PH

 

[jakethedog]

payn** are now offering a 'homebrand (I think)' 14x12 poly -but don't have any photos up yet. they also offer what i believe are swienty langstroths which may be another option for you to investigate....not tried any of them myself so only speculating to be honest.

 

[drstitson]

PH - i was simply presuming that the OP would realise that PH was the first port of call other than on the specific question about nat frames and MB hives.

on a serious note - anyone out there got experience with cutting and joining high density poly?

Sorry PH - just noted your post of 29th june re biscuit jointing.

 

[Poly Hive]

Uh huh.... though no need to biscuit joint poly I successfully glued into supers four offcuts with just PVA glue so the options are there if you want to go that route though please NOTE you need a fine toothed TABLE SAW. A hand saw will not suffice or so I found.

PH

 

[Black Comb]

It's no big deal shifting a national nuc into a langstroth.
Either use the conversion kit, or attach l/s top bars to top of nat top bars (garden wire will suffice) and accept a bit of brace comb at the sides. Then fill out the l/s box with l/s frames and feed. Then gradually move the nat frames to the side, replace with l/s as the season progresses.

You can make your own "conversion kit". Buy some 2 x 1 par from the diy store, cut pieces to fit under nat top bars and flush with bottom bars, drill 1 or 2 holes in and attach to nat frame inc l/s top bars. A lot cheaper than buying a conversion kit. Problem is doing with bees attached.
Cable ties are useful for attaching.

I run both standard l/s and jumbos (cedar). The jumbos I go with 9 frames & dummy board (they will hold 10 frames). This gives approx. the same no of cells as a 14 x 12. Standard lang frames are easier to inspect (less weight) but a strong queen will need a double b/box.

The MB poly is good quality and their service is spot on. I've only used the nucs, so no experience with ekes, queen excluders, supers etc which you need with full hives.

As for extractors, if the club has a universal then it should take l/s super frames. L/s frames are 3mm shallower than nats so it's the extra length you need to check out - i.e. make sure they don't catch on the extractor lid.

 

[dpround]

I went for a MB langstroth jumbo. It is not a decision that I regret, though it does make some things more complicated. I was lucky to get a swarm, which both saved money, grew faster and saved the grief with frame converters. If I were doing it again I might have chosen Swienty, but they are minor issues and I am not going to change horses now.

I would just buy a langstroth jumbo frame and make your own adaptor from that. I was not that impressed with the adaptors I bought and you can't buy one for National to langstroth jumbo anyway, so I ended up adapting adaptors.

All the best

David

 

[Black Comb]

Just a note on jumbos. Both L/s jumbo frames and MB Dadant frames fit these. They are the same size except the Dadant have slightly wider side bars.

 

[BBG]

We went for MB Langstroth after much thought and study.

No problems and the conversions are reasonably priced but easy to make your own.

 

[tidymeup]

I went the poly route as I got more for my money which is a good job as I have gone from 1 colony to 8 very quickly over the last three years.

I converted a national nuc to langstroth very easily with cable ties I must admit I do like my langstroth hives and prefer them to national.

 

[jakethedog]

Hi,

Been following the threads about poly hives..... and can see their advantages.
Thanks,
Chris

I've been doing much the same. interestingly i can't think of anyone reporting not being happy with their choice once they'd taken the plunge. OK, the odd minor point here or there but as an 'over all view' i don't believe that i've read of the transition being a disaster for anyone. food for thought?

 

[Nightynight]

I am going to get two 12X14 polys and put my 2 over wintering (paynes poly) nucs in to them depending on the weather of course, if I can get them on the feed from very early march I will move them asap. I going to see if I can get some spring honey for the first time......

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

Anyone know if MB have plans for a 14x12? Seem to remember there was talk of bolting 2 supers together or somesuch, but I would be reluctant to go down that route. Very pleased with the quality of my Langs nuc and would like to stay with them if possible

Also, anyone tried the 14x12s offered by Bee Hive Supplies?

 

[herefordshirehoney]

If you go down the MB route langs - which one do you go for to as the're about 3-4 different options! Also with regards painting they always seem to be out of their paint - is the diy stuff ok to use long as you get the right type of acrylic paint.

Thanks

 

[Black Comb]

As I understand it an MB full body is what I would call a standard lang.
A medium body is what I would call a super.
The jumbo is, well, a jumbo.

The other point about MB is that the supers are not lang. depth, they are dadant depth. If you want to avoid brace comb it is better to use dadant super frames = heavier.

Also, be aware that MB poly's have a "lip" on the top and bottom edges. This helps to "lock" the brood, supers etc together but makes life a little harder for ekes etc.

 

[Poly Hive]

Just use a bog standard gloss paint which Murray does and he has thousands of them. Or use as I do a bog standard vnyl.

If you are told you need a special paint you are being miss informed. (and ripped off too no doubt)

PH

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

If you are told you need a special paint you are being miss informed. (and ripped off too no doubt)

PH

Luckily not by MB - from their FAQ



Do I need to paint my hive?
Before being taken into use it is essential the hive components are painted. This prevents the growth of algae on the outside of the hive, deterioration by UV and in the case of the feeder is required for sealing and ease of cleaning. We recommend the floor and roof are fully painted on all surfaces but the brood chamber and supers need only be painted on the outside. Ideally two coats of paint should be applied, though one will suffice. The feeder requires additional painting on the inside, where the syrup sits. At least 3 coats are required otherwise the syrup will soak into the feeder and mould etc., will continue to grow even after you have washed it out. The interior "walk-way" the bees climb up through does not need painting but the surface the bees walk down to reach the syrup benefits from a light roughening with fine sandpaper to help the bees grip. If you have strong fingers the hard plastic edges can be slid off prior to painting for a neater finish. Water based exterior smooth masonry paint is recommend for all surfaces other than the inside of the feeder. This is quick drying and easily applied with a 4" wide fleece roller and a ½" brush for the fiddly bits. We have found Dulux Weathershield Smooth Masonry paint is an excellent choice. This paint contains an acrylic resin and gives excellent coverage and wear characteristics. Woodland Pearl No 1 in the Tailor Made range of this paint is an excellent matt green that suits the hives well. We used to recommend Cuprinol Garden Shades but it is not very hard wearing and we feel the extra durability and better coverage of the Dulux paint is worth the extra cost. One litre will be sufficient for two hives with supers although you will find you probably have to buy 2.5 litres. There is a school of thought that supports painting the hive components different colours so the bees can recognize their own hive better, but unless you have a large number of hives in the apiary this would not be economic. For the interior of the feeder we recommend four coats of interior gloss white paint. Roughen the surface down which the bees climb to reach the syrup with fine sanding paper after the last coat. Alternatively, apply an extra coat to this surface only and sprinkle dry sand on it. You do not need to paint the interior surface the bees ascend - it would be pretty hard to reach in any case.

 

[drstitson]

homebase often do cheap discontinued tester pots of masonry paint - enough for one full hive.

 

[Chris B]

You will have no issues with extracting Langstroth frames in a normal extractor.

Regarding nucs. Not a problem getting them on Langstroth frames. Just look through the member list on this forum, and find a Langstroth user close enough to you. I guarantee you'll find one who can supply you within a 50 mile radius.